An Evening With the Author

I ate too much ice cream today. I left a woman at the side of a river that might be dangerous or might simply be a river - I haven't decided yet. She's kind of bewildered that I wrote her into shape, gave her a voice and gave her a dark silence, and then just walked away. I might go back. But I've also left a girl in an empty apartment getting shot by a man who loves her, and a girl in a bookshop listening to whales sing in the starlit harbour, and a woman walking a haunted island where she really shouldn't be. My shadow is littered with broken stories.

I had peaches with some of the ice cream but they were the cheap kind so it's not as nice as it sounds. The woman by the river has a magician for a lover but apart from his eyes I don't know much about him and I'm not sure how much there is to know. I haven't fallen in love with him yet; it worries me. The man who shot the girl in the apartment is not bad enough. There's a man at the docks listening to the whales, same as the bookshop girl, and the way he translates their old music, and her dusty silence, enchants me. The people in town suspect he's made from rain and moonlight. Who knows. And on the haunted island, holding the hand of the woman who shouldn't be there, is the same man pretty much as the one who shot the girl in the apartment. I need better heroes.

I found the bookshop one day a couple of weeks ago, although it was actually a coffee house; we sat outside and drank coffee and listened to the peace of old stone walls and trees. We told the woman behind the counter that she had the best shop in the city. She liked us. The island haunts me. I don't really think much about the river, it's just a thing to put my story beside. And the apartment keeps opening doors in my mind.

Is it time yet for tea?

Stupid question. It's always time for tea. And maybe another spoonful of ice cream.

2 comments:

Oh yes, it is always time for tea {{smiles}} Such a lovely post, sweet Sarah.

I so enjoyed your visit to my blog today...thank you for the kind comment. I couldn't help but smile at what you said about heights. When I was up there looking down on Horse Shoe Bend, oh my! My legs were shaking a little! And I couldn't seem to let go of my son for fear he might get to close to the edge. There are no safety rope or gates up there so it's a little scary. For the picture, my son and I sat down and scooted back just a bit. You should have seen some of the other people getting right up to the edge...be still my heart!

HEARTWILD BOOKS

In the quiet hours, the in-between moments and the half-light, I like to write. My books are made from fairytale shadow and old magical songs. They speak about dreams, lost wishes, longing for something beyond the self, and always about love. They have been not-for-profit fundraisers. You can read about them here. I am currently writing something new.

DREAMING TALES

ELSEWHERE

THE HEROINE'S MYTHIC JOURNEY

I believe we have a need these days especially for a womanly kind of story: one which travels like the moon, in an old circle, gathering things to create richness and depth, exploring layers, going back over its steps. And so I have created a storytelling (and therapeutic) template for the mythic heroine. You can read about it here.

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